Inkjet printing is a process in which a stream of ink, preferably in the form of droplets, is ejected at high speed from nozzles against a medium so as to create an image.
Media used for inkjet recording need to be dimensionally stable, absorptive of ink, capable of providing a fixed image and compatible with the imaging materials and hardware.
Most commercial photo-quality inkjet media can be classified in one of two categories according to whether the principal component material forms a layer that is porous or non-porous in nature. Inkjet media having a porous layer are typically formed of inorganic materials with a polymeric binder. When ink is applied to the medium it is absorbed into the porous layer by capillary action. The ink is absorbed very quickly, but the open nature of the porous layer can contribute to instability of printed images, particularly when the images are exposed to environmental gases such as ozone.
Inkjet media having a non-porous layer are typically formed of one or more polymeric layers that swell and absorb applied ink. However, due to limitations of the swelling mechanism, this type of media is slow to absorb the ink, but once dry, printed images are often stable when subjected to light and ozone.
Japanese Patent application number 2001162924 in the name of Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, discloses an ink receiving layer comprising a porous receiver in which the pores are filled with a hydrophilic polymer. The pores are formed by irradiation of the receiver.
United States Patent application number US2001/0021726 in the name of James F Brown relates to the use of a porous resinous material for retaining biological samples.
An inkjet recording medium is required that addresses the problems identified above.